Young men, soldiers, nineteen fourteen
Marching through countries they'd never seen
Virgins with rifles, a game of charades
All for a children's crusade
Pawns in the game are not victims of chance
Strewn on the fields of Belgium and France
Poppies for young men, death's bitter trade
All of those young lives betrayed
The children of England would never be slaves
They're trapped on the wire and dying in waves
The flower of England face down in the mud
And stained in the blood of a whole generation
Corpulent generals safe behind lines
History's lessons drowned in red wine
Poppies for young men, death's bitter trade
All of those young lives betrayed
All for a children's crusade
The children of England would never be slaves
They're trapped on the wire and dying in waves
The flower of England face down in the mud
And stained in the blood of a whole generation
Midnight in Soho nineteen eighty four
Fixing in doorways, opium slaves
Poppies for young men, such bitter trade
All of those young lives betrayed
All for a children's crusade

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GORDON SUMNER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

eiji idogawa

Playing in a wonderland,
My memories creep around me,
As if the past confounds with the future,
Walking through a distorted corridor,
Fishes jump up and dive into the wall,
Like a circus mind, abstract pictures laugh,
It smells so well, then I am almost hypnotized,
Oh, I'd better drink my brandy neat tonight...

Well, good night and sweet dreams to you (๑`･ᴗ･´๑)

All comments from YouTube:

Robert Galletta

4y↑108

this whole album is a masterpiece ! really!!

Shark Gamez

1y↑1

Lmao I accidentally bought this album because it was mislabeled,

Ryan Williams

1y↑6

Best Rock/pop album of the 1980’s hands down. And it’s really a jazz album.

Love33

Master Piece!!!!!!!!!

craig craig

Truly

Rocky B

7y↑55

I love this song!!!! I have a copy of Dream Of The Blue Turtles on Cd. Whenever it goes in the player it stays in for days i can listen to it over and over. The whole damn album is great but this and Fortress Around Your Heart are my two favs.

Ryan Williams

1y↑1

Ha ha me too. I wore a tape cassette out. Bought it when it t came out and by college tape was wore out. Have it on record as well.

Rocky B

6y↑3

Damn Right and love the Jazzy Elements on it. Sting nailed it with this one

The Natural Jazz Fusion Bridge by Rick Henderson

6y↑3

You're right --- phenomenal album it is.

Reginald Bigley

7y↑1

🎷

Thunder Breath

1y↑2

I literally haven't heard this song since 1989 when my CDs were stolen and wow, it sure hits with potent nostalgia - I can even remember the atmosphere of being there in the late '80s. Ouch..!

Dino Agate

5y↑13

always been captured by the mesmerizing music of this song, but today discovered how beautiful the lyrics are.. Sting is a poet

Troy Farris

1y↑5

Just visited the WWI museum in Kansas City, with this song playing in my head. Shook me to my core. Walking over the acrylic floor looking down on a field of poppies was almost too much.

ThePortugueseboy16

8y↑11

I think this song is marvelous. It's a sweet and soft song with a powerful message and homage to those lost in WWI. So many powerful lyrics in just this song alone, and yet the sax in the chorus gives me the feeling to celebrate the lives lost, not mourn them.

Michael Lomenzo

6y↑59

That solo by Branford is incredible

christopher washington

3y↑4

And great how he weaves in and out of the vocal!

Jered Fearman

1y↑5

Funny how a song is talking about history and current events as history is repeating right now with the Ukraine and Russia crisis that's going on. Sting is a musician that speaks of things that are truly relevant to the world.

Yvette Jones

6y↑13

Twenty one years later...I still love Sting. His entire album was mellow and put me in a state of mind. Great to listen to through my college years as I painted and drew in my sketch books. Even through motherhood

Rondo2ooo

1y↑5

After leaving The Police and writing this album Sting cemented the fact that he is indeed an absolute genius.

psychickitty1

7y↑38

remembering those who fell at the Somme 100 years ago....and all who paid the ultimate price. as timely a song now as when I first heard it.

Jorge Grillo

2y↑3

!! Que increible juego entre armonías y melodías... Maravilloso...!!!

John Ritcher

3y↑6

The man is simply a great artist. Timeless.

Dana Terrell

7y↑45

i absolutely love sting... he helped me develop my love for jazz. beautiful...

wpochert

@superslonic Stellar musicians all around

Timothy Maynard

Who cares!!!!!!!!!!

GrooveKing Muzz

Brendon Cariah he was simply a wheel in the spoke...An awesome player but he did not do all of it..Especially this tune,which was commanded beautifully by Hakims drumming and Jones bass playing...All others are as good on their respective instruments as Marsalis' is on his...Sting knew what he was doing when he ordered this legendary line-up..Kenny Kirkland RIP my man....

Asia Jackson

Dana Terrell Reading Slaughterhouse Five In My Honors English Class And My Teacher Told Us About This Song .. I Love It Now

superslonic

6y↑4

I think that was all the guys together, Kenny Kirland, Brandford, Darryll Jones, Omar Hakim and definitely Sting himself

Home Studio EMastering

7y↑27

Masterpiece music, and saxophone solo by Branford Marsalis

Juan Sales Durá

Branford is amazing!

ucbookman

7y↑1

+stephen dwyer a rag who? What bouncer let you in here, pendejo?

iardheas989

8y↑77

one of this planet's best songwriters :)

Hawkstorm's Poems

a "talent" which he passed on to his children (e.g. Joe & Elliott Sumner).

Wu Wei

5y↑6

One of the great musicians of the 20th century.

al boddy

47w↑2

AND POETS!!

scarlet fox

6y↑2

Sting gets my vote, having served my country and knowing my Father and GrandFather did , like so many other people around the world, you listen to this song and it brings out certain emotions. Sad but true!

David Rixon

8y↑31

"Trapped on the wire and dying in waves"
I have listened to this song since 1985 and that phrase always makes my spine tingle.

Lee

3y↑2

It's also tragically accurate. They sent wave after wave of men into German machine gun fire. At one battle (Ypres I think) the Germans just stopped shooting because they couldn't stand seeing so many men die.

G L66

7y↑2

Especially in the last chorus when they double up the vocals.

G L66

7y↑2

It almost brings tears to your eyes.

Mlh

7y↑6

Such a wonderful album... brings back memories of 1985, my first year in college....listened to this song in particular over and over. Great musicians and the great Gordon Sumner who brought it all together

Don Gray

3y↑2

DREAM OF THE BLUE TURTLES
NOTHING LIKE THE SUN
PURE GENIUS!!!!!
They never get old!!!!!

Brett Garsed

3y↑2

Amazing song by Sting and AMAZING solo by Branford!!!

Eduardo Russo

5y↑8

No words to say about something too strong! Amazing!

J S

2y↑3

3:46 onwards always sends shivers down my spine.

Cor Severin Chris

2y↑1

True 'homesick feelings

Michael Lomenzo

2y↑3

Same here. Incredible song

Nina cunha

9y↑4

Maravilhoso!

Eliana Rodrigues

Amo essa música, é show de bola Love! Sting!

Daniel Latchem

8y↑5

Still a sensational tune by sting, timeless and even more true to life now than it ever was then, be lucky people, life is just too short

jason i love oz (Coco the cat yt alt)

+Daniel Latchem dont know about timeless .will people still look up this song in twenty five years.. hope so.aussie out

Love33

2y↑1

The music is so intoxicating! This song and “ Stranger in Moscow” by Michael Jackson are the best written songs of all time.

DiS♡F

As a passionate drummer...no song does for me what this does when I play along with the track.
🤌Omar Hakim👏

Marília Veronese

5y↑1

BEAUTIFUL SONG! LINDA CANÇÃO!

Gamel Muñoz

3y↑1

the dream of the blue turtles is a obra maestra ......gracias mr. sting....and all those musicians....perfect pitch

Richard Davis

2y↑1

A friend of mine had this CD and let me copy it to cassette to take with me on one of my many international business trips. In late 1985 I was in China and the taxi drivers would sometimes ask if we had cassettes to play in the car during the ride. There was a thirst for Western Culture by many there at the time plus it gave them a chance to hear English, which was a valuable skill. Long story short, I would advance my DOTBT tape to this song prior to getting in the taxi. As a result many Chinese taxi drivers got to hear this song. Some of there reactions were interesting. I think they were expecting Madonna or Michael Jackson, but I surprised them.

JerichoBrand

8y↑85

the Musical construction of this song is simply Genius

Love33

Insanely genius!

jhonn Doe

@John Keller Minute 4:30, Prokofiev ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbaY7p5ahZo

stingfan24

2y↑1

@John Keller You're thinking of Russians, which takes the theme from Sergei Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kije Suite.

the womble

3y↑1

@John Keller That was For Russians, not this song. He took a theme from Prokofiev and built Russians around it.

Lior Arbel

3y↑1

@Joe Smith LOVE THAT SONG!! from "Bring on the night" Years ago, I devoted this song to my wife :) "I burn for you"

5 More Replies...

safak acar

3y↑2

the beginning of the song is so mesmerizing...the entire song is wonderful of course....I used to listen to it a lot while driving some 25 years ago....

Court Beall

3y↑1

I,ve always loved this tune.Somehow reinvigorated to me after seeing 1917.This band was incredible.

Jae Lawrence

2y↑2

Still here in this in 2021 Saturday at 1:21 am and loving every bit of it.

Michael Dean

3y↑2

Sting had to be sick for more than a couple of years to let this particular band ensemble. Freakin' Branford Marsalis, Kirkland, Jones and Hakim in the same ensemble?! I'm doing everything and anything to keep such a unit happy and intact! RIP Kenny Kirkland.

Dick Domane

7y↑8

One of my favorites of all time.

Víctor M Guzmán Godoy

4y↑1

es un virtuoso el y los músicos congregados en esta obra maestra

Dick Domane

One of the best writers and music makers I have ever heard.

TwinMillMC

2y↑1

Dude what an amazing song!

ledivo59

5y↑55

"Poppies for young men, death's bitter trade - All of those young lives betrayed", sadly still so true!

Daniel Wall

@Marcus Keulertz Listen to "Leningrad" by Billy Joel, its a really nice song too!

Marcus Keulertz

3y↑3

The best song on the album,well and Russians.

Timothy Maynard

4y↑3

The black market of war is quite an expensive endeavor ...all concocted in evil hearts.

rafael baraldo

5y↑2

Genio total.

tuxguys

1y↑1

What seems to be an atmospheric, angry meditation on the futility of war becomes (thanks to the marvelous soprano sax solo by Branford Marsalis, which bridges the narrative) an atmospheric, angry, and more general meditation on how easy it is to abrogate the most important responsibility we ever have thrust upon us, as Humans:
The safety, development, and happiness of our children.
Chilling and marvelous.

airdriver

3y↑1

Brilliance.
From a lyrical and musical prospective.
Sheer brilliance!

Matthew V

10y↑1

One of my favorite cuts from Sting's solo debut.

J. Clay

Easily one of my favorite songs...would love a modern mix though. I feel a lot of the nuanced parts gets lost in the mix.

theresa42213

l fell in love with this piece in my punk days. l didn't know what it was about, but was a jazz musician, and loved the beautiful chords, n melody. Later when l listened to the story, l realised the song was about me! What a way to TELL it!!!!

Lucetta Butt

3y↑2

Great song... Had this.... ( well.. Cassette) in 1984... In Feb. 1985... Something happened between me and my mother... I was "Grounded" for a year!!! I was 15. She took my phone, T.V.... But not my stereo!! ( Thank God!! ) I love to listen to music more than anything the most!! The day after what had happened... I was feeling sorry for myself and had a moment and was listening to the song before this.. Russians... Then... This song came on... I really paid attention to the lyrics to this song... I had a really good friend who educated me on history and what was going on even on 1984 and 85.. ( I learned from him, more than in school!!).. I quit feeling sorry for myself after really realizing what everything had happened in that war.. Not just that war... But any war!!! I'm about to go and see the film 1917... I see that they have made it also a personal film about some characters... And that's fine... But... What a Great song!! I love Sting!! What an ARTIST!!!

Deborah Armstrong

9y↑1

One of his finest songs...

Martin Williams

2y↑1

I was listening to this in my car traveling through Northern France and seeing all the war graves I remembered my Grandfather who was gassed and became an invalid. He couldn't work so my Mother grew up in poverty. War casts a long shadow.

Gustavo Salazar

Master piece!!

Mike B

44w

Such a brilliant song…

Don Gray

I love when this goes instrumental!
The intensification....!!!!!

Alex Villegas

An incredibly beautiful song that was featured in a sting documentary released in 1987....saw this movie with an artist friend who got me into sting.

Tony Fay

Good music still love this album

A

4y↑5

If Peter Jackson's WW1 documentary They Shall Not Grow Old had a soundtrack, this song should head the list. RIP to the glorious dead.

jean jacques trichard

I love this song

Paul Lake Worth

AMAZING song! Marsalis VIRTUOSO! The entire album is terrific.

filmnoirfan1975

8y↑3

Love this song. Thank you.

Sigma Draconis

9y↑12

What a great song...
...for some reason, this song makes me want to cry...

Semjonovs Arturs

2y↑1

Made me cry tonight. WWI - the most pointless slaughter of humans in history.

Edward Burke

4y↑1

@Laura Tang, made me cry in 1986 & 2019

G L66

7y↑2

Because of the genius of the lyrics and power of the music.

scott beaudry

3y↑1

When I listen to this song, I immediately think about the beaches in Normandy France where D Day happened. I’ve actually visited those beaches in the mid 1970’s. So many lives sacrificed. Some came home alive, but many didn’t.

Gerardo palladino

Immortal song

al boddy

47w

My Dad was in the Trenches in YPRES,BELGIUM,He was mustard gassed,blinded and wounded!My mother told me stories when I was young of what Dad had been through.Our home was full of memorabilia of that Horrendous war.He survived it and brought up a wonderful family in Yorkshire England!When I hear Stings wonderful poetry and melody I always think of DAD!(God Bless a wonderful FATHER and man!R I P

cookaboorra

3y↑1

Intuition & Genius. Immortal, we can say.

Kevin C

2y↑1

i passed in these lyrics as an original poem to my 60 year old english teacher freshman year of high school(85). she was absolutely blown away. i had to tell her i was shy and didn’t want her to share it with anyone else because she wanted to make a big deal about it. i was a bad boy freshman year. i’m sorry sr. maria. i’m sorry sting.

kekebaby

2y↑1

😄I stole a line or two from Sting for a paper as well. We stole from the best.

Cor Severin Chris

Great album 💯 and my fav track/ 'homesick feeling

Lucia Morello

5y↑4

LOVE Sting.

Wolf5150

10y

Nice. Love this song :)

eiji idogawa

awwwyeaboyeeee

6y↑10

The chord progression for the verse is kind of like Message in a Bottle.

christopher washington

This was back when songwriters wrote about what they saw OUTSIDE IN THE WORLD, not the pretend characters they create for themselves today. Sting is the Shakespeare of modern music. I was never a huge fan of the Police (although I loved some of their stuff), I didn't get into his music until he left the band, or broke it up or whatever.

Quercia Cunningham

3y↑1

Nupe/TSU Alpha Theta/2 1986. Sting is truly a great artist, miss his compositions like these, wish he would use the line up again on a project, awesome song!!!👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿

Diego De Rosa

Forse il migliore brano di STING ( probably the best STING' s song )

Hezza

6y↑28

The words has a chilling effect on what is happening today with the Opiod crisis. This song was written in 1984.

ebony Gem

Such A haunting composition, his music has almost always been adult

edward mccabe

Angers me this has not been played at this time in our history. 100 years on from the end of the slaughter. Every year at the Albert Hall we hear "Britons will never be slaves" yet he writes "They're trapped on the wire and dying in waves" Brilliant. We rule no waves. The story of the Childrens crusade is also worth a read. Let,s get real and remember when a nation slaughtered a generation .

inquizative44

50w↑1

To the young soldiers of Russia and the Ukraine!!

nasirpe23

10y

one of the best to ever do it

Stephen Alderson

1y↑1

This Geordie genius needs no accolades from me . Not that I could formulate a suitabley fitting one .such eloquence would put me on a par with him .I ain't ,very few indeed are !
Haway the lads Sting ( I hope and pray we share a bottle of dog or two ,one sunny day !)

Don Gray

History repeats itself!!!!

Jerold Lawrence

2021 and still listening

psychickitty1

6y↑1

again im listening on this Remembrance Sunday. Thank you, all who served then.. and now...and the years between.

Stephan Dreamweaver

Now more than ever We must see this song thank you

Axes

It's a great song with hard lyrics.

Tato Schab

8y↑20

Sting´s Best

María Lourdes Alonso

4y↑1

No doubt ! I've been in love with this song since the first time i came across it!

rain73ful

5y↑1

Agreed, Tato, This is truly his best album. hands down.

Neil Hardy

7y↑1

safe behind lines.... genius...

WillowOfBlades

Armistice Day today. listening to this song. so visual. makes me cry. remembering. never forget 😢🌺

Dián Wilson

It Ain't Old... the story's still told...

Lee Thomas

7y↑7

As\we comemmorate the 100th Anniversary of the Some today in the Uk, which begun at 7:30 am, and by the end of the same day 01/07/1916, which would see 50,000 men die on both sides, in the worst bloodbath in history (continuing in the 'summer of blood', this song remains beautifully poigniant and relevant, rip. to all those young men cut down so young

Drake Dulka

It's spelled Somme

Wolfington

6y↑1

So much bloodsucking in your world...quite remarkable

psychickitty1

7y↑2

agree. I'm in the us and watching the live re enactors walk through the streets of the UK reduced me to tears. lest we forget.

Alan Fox

Classic

Frank Wijffels

9y↑2

ingenious song

darren hook

My grandad spent the whole term there must have been horrendous rRIP THIS DONG ALWAYS REMIND ME OF THOSE YOUNG NIAVE GALLANT BRAVS RESPECT

Lisa Bella Donna

5y↑1

Daryl Jones on this... perfection

glaucoaster

10y

Great Album ., theanks for the post. Impresindible ¡¡¡

billXJR9

27w

So sad and so true, all of those young Ukrainian and Russian lives betrayed.

Will humanity ever learn?

Hazardous541

4y↑1

Definitively a cold war record.

Silence Tech & Travel

2y↑1

Watching 1917 reminded me of this song

Thorsten Nommensen

The British soldiers of 1914 weren't virgins. They were professional soldiers, most of them with experience in colonial wars and trained to fire ten rounds a minute. May be the French, Russian, German and Austro-Hungarian conscripts of 1914 were innocent children, but they did not fight for the "Flower of England". And to compare brave soldiers with junkies is just ridiculous.

Harry Ohrt

I've been puzzled by the lyrics since hearing them the first time. In 1914, it was the Germans who threw away their young men ("Kindermorten"). The British waited till 1916 and the Somme offensive to butcher their young men.

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